![]() The nebula shines faintly at magnitude 9, making it just visible through binoculars but an easy target for even small backyard telescopes. That's slightly less than the width of three middle fingers held at an arm's length. Look for the faint Crab Nebula, also known as Messier 1, approximately 5 degrees to the right of the moon. The star's explosion was noted by Japanese and Chinese astronomers, and likely Native Americans as well, in the year A.D. The star serves as a convenient guidepost to the famed Crab Nebula, the best known example of a supernova remnant, the glimmering ashes of a shattered star. By Friday, January 30, the waxing gibbous moon shines next to a star, Zeta Tau, that marks the tip of one of Taurus's long horns. President Harry Truman ordered the development of the first hydrogen bomb and the Korean War broke out.Ĭrab Nebula. That means that its ruddy starlight left on its journey in 1950, when U.S. On the next evening, Thursday, January 29, the moon will have slid closer to Aldebaran, the red eye of Taurus, the Bull.Ī dying star, the red giant lies some 65 light-years from Earth. Unauthorized use is prohibited.īull's eye. Look carefully through the eyepiece under low magnification to catch sight of the faint blue nebulosity that still swaddles these hot, young stars that reside some 400 light-years from Earth. Stargazers using binoculars and small telescopes to glimpse the Seven Sisters will see a jewel box of dozens of white diamonds huddled together in the sky. The group of stars is easily glimpsed with the naked eye, even from the suburbs where the glare from streetlights competes with the starlight. Look for the waxing gibbous moon (a little more than half full) after local nightfall on Wednesday, January 28, and the lunar orb will appear next to the stunning Pleiades open star cluster.Īlso known as the Seven Sisters from Greek mythology, this fuzzy patch of stars takes the shape of a tiny version of the Big Dipper. ![]() And don't forget that tonight an asteroid will zip through the skies for your viewing pleasure. Backyard astronomers, meanwhile, confront the challenge that comes from a Jovian moon's vanishing act. Venus snuggles up with Neptune for stargazers this week, while the moon points to the remnants of an ancient stellar blast.
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